


The Prince of Crows

by jessi_mini



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-08-07 17:38:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7723648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessi_mini/pseuds/jessi_mini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kisame is an orc and found himself tangled in elves business. He always knew he was to make something greater than lead raids in villages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One defeat brings new purpose

From the darkness of his cell, Kisame was pressing an infected wound with a piece of clothe he ripped from his shirt. It must have been a few days he was left to rot in this hole, and the only light he ever saw was from the guards bringing him food once in a while. From what he could feel, his wound wasn't really bad but since it was left without care for too long it would leave a big scar. Another one among many.

Kisame was a fighter and highborn, he just happened to be greatly outnumbered while he was strolling around new lands by himself. His race was one of the most powerful and feared, so he was used to being attacked and frankly, he enjoyed the fights. It was normality for his kind. by example, there was rituals to bring blessings among the clan, like bathe in the blood of the ennemies that were just massacred. It was the biggest festivity of the year among his race, and it lasted a week. A week where the other races tended to avoid them even more, for obvious reasons. His kind didn't really have allies, so anyone could eventually become ennemies, and most of the orcs didn't bother to ask when they were filled with bloodlust. Another one he had to go through was at fourteen. It was the ritual of passage from childhood to manhood. It usually revolved around killing a family but slowly and painfully. One of his kind was there to watch over his actions. His was a family of human peasants. Three kids and the two parents. The children first and the man last. Kisame remembered how they screamed in agony and how it was to peel off the skin off his prey, alive. This was his kind's way. Very brutal and bloody.

Orcs didn't have any strategies at fights. They were so powerful that only one could take on five men or two to three elves, depending of their age and skills. Orcs were not only very strong but fast, and usually healed quickly. Most of men were dumb enough to confuse his kind with trolls, which were slow and stupid as a bug. Kisame took a great pride in his kind. Men were usually forced to create alliances with other kinds to win battles due to their weakness, like the dwarves and the elves, though the elves didn't take part in most of them because they preffered the tranquility of their infinite libraries and fought only when their kind was in danger. The dwarves were stronger because they were used to orcs raiding their mines for their precious steels. Orcs didn't need alliances nor help. They fought for what they wanted and took it. most of their hardest battles were between clans for power. Kisame didn't care much for these fights. He already knew he was born to lead the greatest battles.

Though he would lead nothing, sitting here in dirt. He had no idea why his captor kept him locked without telling him anything. Maybe to weaken him. Kisame chuckled. It would take much more to weaken him, and they must knew it. He already tried asking questions to the guards but they would never respond to him. So he just waited.

He must have fallen asleep because when he woke up, it was to the sound of the metal door slamming open. A small boy with a hooded cape slid in the cell and pointed an arrow to his face.

"Get up, orc, and do as I tell you or I will kill you".

Kisame froze for a second before bursting in laughter. This little... kid thinking he could kill him. He wiped away a tear of laugher and got up, towering over the little guy.

"I'll do as you tell me because I'm tired of sitting here doing nothing, not because I'm scared of you. You'll have to do better to achieve that, kid."

The boy seemed to be about to explode of rage, but dryly ordered him to walk before him.

"So, where are we going?" Kisame asked. "Bringing me to get butchered by a bunch of cowards while my hands and feet are tied?"

"Shut up and keep walking."

Kisame felt the pointy end of the arrow on his low back laughed. This kid was serious about his business, whatever it was. They were constantly moving close to walls, and trying to avoid the few guards in their path. They made it without any trouble until they were faced to a small wooden door. The boy knocked twice, then once. The door opened slowly and he saw a slender hooded figure, armed with a long bow, though their hands were occupied by a simple book. But Kisame could see the shining edge of a dagger hidden up their sleeve. He also appeared to be carrying a bag full of old scrolls.

"Judging by your...equipment, you must be elves. But what are elves doing here?" Kisame couldn't help but wonder.

The tallest didn't respond and started walking away from the door. Kisame followed as the boy told him. When he stepped out, the fresh breeze of the air felt so good on his face that he closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, the tallest figure was in front of them, with two ordinary horses. He had to fight a urge to just kill these two and jump on a horse and run away, but he was still tied so there wasn't much he could do, for now.

The older elf cut of ropes binding his feet but kept his hands tied. Kisame got on the horse with the kid and they started to ride east. They stayed off the road for the most part, so they were covered in the dense forest. Since it was middle of summer, the plants were flourishing and it was easier to hide. Kisame could understand that because it wasn't everyone who would run away with an orc, plus his pale skin and his stature was impossible to miss.

As many of his clan, his hair were long and tangled. He had scar all over his body, even his face, the result of many combats. His eyes were yellow just like a predator, shining slightly in the dark. Orcs had some other attributes similar to animals, like their pointy teeth, long ears, well developped muscles. Overall they were monstruous. But Kisame was a bit different from the others. He was smarter than the others. He realized it as he was asking many questions about life, and his purpose when he grew up. He just couldn't believe that his only purpose was to lead a clan a kill all the enemies. Unlike his clan, he was aspiring to something greater. He wanted peace for everyone. He didn't want to kill children and women. It made him feel terrible and worthless to kill the innocent.

Kisame sighed as the kept on riding in complete silence. At least they could have told him why they took him.

"So... Are you going to tell me what you're doing with me? Why did you took me from there?"

"We're helping you...In a way."

The older elf spoke out without looking at him. Kisame was suprised by the deepness of his voice, yet it was soft.

"I guess you're expecting something in return?"

Kisame groaned when he was met with more silence. It annoyed him that he wouldn't even answer a simple question. This pretentious elf was going to answer his questions even if he had to ask all day.

"And how are you helping me if I'm still tied? Let me go to my people".

"You sure do talk a lot for an orc". Said the young elf with a point of irritation in his voice.

They finally stopped to rest the horses next to a small creek in a clearing. When Kisame dismounted, The older elf approached him. He gave him a cape with rough, cheap fabric. Something any peasants could wear.

"We are going to go through the city tomorrow. We should be as discreet as possible".

He paused, then lifted his hands to remove his cape. The younger one gasped in protest, but Kisame had already seen the elf's face. He never thought a living creature could be so..bewitching? No this wasn't enough, Kisame was lost in the pale smooth skin, and deep tired eyes. It seems like they saw thousands of wars and felt indescribable pain. Thin, long silky black hair framed the delicate face that looked up to him, without fear, or hatred, or killing intent. Was he manipulating him? How could he? Kisame was overthinking every single details as he felt under a charm, unable to move or breathe, feeling like the world had stopped and everything was a blur. Then the elf talked or rather, whispered.

"You need to trust me, Kisame of the Ahti clan. Do as I say, and your questions will be answered in time. We need your help".

The last sentence was whispered to his ear, though he didn't see him move closer. How did he know his clan? No human could know. Well he was an elf. Maybe he read it in a book? Kisame tried to nod but couldn't. He was still frozen with the shadowy figure of the elf in front of him. The rest was too blurry.

"I am Itachi". He simply said. 'I am not your enemy. I can't tell you much for now other than we need you. I will cast a spell to make your appearance human for the time we go through cities. But I can't change your stature so I need you to remain discreet anyways. I can't change your voice either so please don't talk much. Your accent could give you out".

Kisame could only listen for the instructions. It was true that orc had a guttural accent that no other race could reproduce. So far the elf didn't look dangerous, but he was a castspeller and seemed pretty strong, so he wouldn't fight for now. He was getting interested in what he was getting into.

Suddenly in a dark wave that exploded, everything got back to normal. But it was as if it happened in less than a second, as he didn't gasp for air, and the other elf was still with the shocked look on his face of Itachi removing his cloak.

"This is Sasuke". Itachi pointed his chin.

Kisame nodded as Sasuke was complaining about keeping their identity secret. The sun was setting so they all ate and relaxed. Itachi even checked his wounds and tended to it. Kisame thought nothing of it.

Tomorrow they would enter the city. Kisame had no idea where they were, and didn't know much of cities locations and such. He had never raid a big city. As he fell asleep he could see Itachi next to the fire still awake, staring away in the woods. He seemed to be writing in his book, by the look of ink spots on his hand and the beard feather he was holding. Sasuke was already fast asleep close to his brother, hand still clutching his bow.

Kisame didn't trust them completely, by something about Itachi made him want to trust him anyway. It was a weird feeling he felt ever since Itachi had first talked to him. He must have used a spell to make him more gulliable. He clenched his theeth as he swore to himself to be careful around him.


	2. More Mysteries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio continue on their adventure and the mystery around Kisame and Itachi only gets bigger.

Sasuke got up a little after his older brother, and the orc was apparently still asleep. It was the perfect moment to talk to Itachi, after all this time stuck with an ignorant beast. Sasuke couldn't hide his disdain for the orc, and couldn't understand why Itachi had gone to rescue him when both of them saw him being abducted. He wasn't sure if Itachi had planned it that way, or if he saw it happen before and knew it would happen. Sometimes Itachi was the biggest mystery to him. He approached his brother while brushing off some dirt off his cloak.

"Itachi, you still haven't explained to me what we are doing with him! You haven't said anything since we've left home!"

"Maybe it's because I wanted you to stay home, safely with our family, Sasuke".

"You went away in the middle of the night! I'm lucky that I noticed you leaving and followed you! Where are planning to go? Why do you keep everything from me? You have been so distant from everyone for so long, but I thought that maybe you could at least tell me what's going on?"

His voice broke at the last words spoken, but as he remainded silent, waiting for his brother's answer, Itachi's eyes moved sharply to look behind him. Sasuke turned around to see the orc awake and listening with a calculating expression. Sasuke frowned and looked again at Itachi, not sure what to say. They didn't need the orc knowing too much about them, to try and use their weaknesses later. Itachi simply got up and walked towards the horses, apparently paying no mind to Kisame. Sasuke gave a murderous stare at the orc before gathering his things and mounting his horse. He felt hurt that Itachi would have left him behind. From what he could tell, he was not about to go back home soon. He wanted Itachi to tell him why he left but because they got interupted, he couldn't get his answer and it angered him. He looked at Itachi and was shocked to see he was removing the bounds on Kisame's hands. He tried to protest but Itachi silenced him with a calm stare. He seemed to know what he was doing but Sasuke just couldn't trust the orc.

When they were all on the horses, they finally departed to the city. Sasuke estimated they would arrive at midday if they hurried a bit. He couldn't wait to see the big city, even though pretty much everyone in his family told him that humans were disgusting and rude. He even heard that humans were often more cruel and depraved than any other race.

Sasuke couldn't imagine any creatures crueler than an orc. Orcs didn't have friends and killed each others all the time. This one with them seemed no different and he wouldn't hesitate to put an arrow trough his head if it was necessary. He wished he didn't have to share his horse with him. He smelled like wet grass and dirt, and took too much place on the horse. He gritted his theeth and tried to focus on the road.

They were now out of the forest, and following a dirt trail. He could already see some houses straight ahead. It seemed to be cramped, small houses. When they were closer he could see many humans looking at them with round eyes. Some of them followed for a while, others ran away, probably to tell other people about strange people passing by. While they did put some effort to hide, Kisame's stature was very impressive, and neither Itachi's cloak or his could hide the rich fabric of their elfic clothing. Sasuke realized he was wearing the same shirt he was wearing when he left home in a hurry. It was a deep blue silk shirt, with delicate silver patterns on the collar and sleeves. He was also wearing simple black pants and leather boots of great quality.

Itachi had made himself appear in much modest apparel, but that was only his illusion spell. It didn't work to fool Sasuke most of the time. What the humans could see was simple black robe adjusted to the chest and arms and flowing around the calves and dusty pants tucked inside simple leather boots. But what Sasuke saw was a long, crimson robe with the same fit as what appeared for the others, and had black embroidement all over. A leather belt around his waist held a bag where he most likely hid potions and herbs, and a small dagger with a twisted blade. He was wearing silver tiara, dangling with tears of garnet. His hair were in loose ponytail but he still had hair hiding part of his face.

They made their way through the city with difficulty because it was so busy. Seemed like Itachi had no intention of wasting time here as he didn't bother to pay attention to any of the sellers. Some of them were selling food, others were selling fabric or cheap jewellery. Most of the people on the street were dirty and Sasuke saw many people stealing, getting into fights or walking around drunk. He wondered if all humans were acting that way. Elves never acted that way and since it was the first time he left home, he was shocked at their behavior. The deeper they advanced into the city, the worst it became and it nauseated Sasuke.

"Why did we have to go through this city?" Sasuke muttered, forcing himself to look straight ahead. Itachi didn't look disturbed at all, and the orc either, he noticed as he looked up from his shoulder. He made eye contact with him and quickly turned his head around. He had smiled at him! Sasuke shuddered thinking about the mouth full of pointy teeth.  
Itachi must have heard him because he replied loud enough for him to hear. " We must pass through this city to get to our destination. The lands around are not safe with great numbers of bandits and bloodthirsty creatures. Plus we couldn't travel on horse by that way because the forest is too dense."

"How long will it take to get to destination then?"

"Once we're out of the city, at least a month, if we don't encounter too many problems."

Sasuke sighed. This would be a long journey, and not the most enjoyable because of the orc. Itachi must have seen his dark looks to Kisame because he made a small smile and said that he was necessary for his mission. Sasuke remembered then that his brother still hadn't told him why he ran away from home and what was his mission. He wanted to ask badly, but not in front of the orc.

When the sun started to set they started looking for a place to sleep for the night, and the closest place they found was a small inn. There was only a spare room for the three so Itachi and Sasuke ended up sleeping next to each other in the bed, while Kisame slept on the ground. Sasuke waited a bit to make sure the orc was asleep, then finally asked his questions to Itachi. He wasn't satisfied with the answer, because Itachi had decided that he wouldn't tell him in the details what was going on, and when you know Itachi, you know he hides secrets better than anyone else. All he got was that Kisame wasn't an ordinary orc, which was weird because he did have the same looks that any orcs had. Just blueish skin instead of greyish. When Sasuke asked for furthermore informations, Itachi shook his head. Sasuke guessed he would have to ask the orc to get more answers.

They departed the next morning as the sun rose. Sasuke barely had time for breakfast, and he still had pillow lines on one side of his face. These days he didn't get enough sleep and food. He regretted the comfort of his home, but at the same time he was excited for an adventure with his big brother.

The mystery with the orc made him think of what his brother was after. He knew Itachi loved to research about species and creatures, and never missed an opportunity when he had one. Maybe that's why he wanted to keep the orc, to study him and his behavior. It was the answer that made more sense to him for now. As for the mission? Back in his village no one mentionned a mission involving breaking into a prison and stealing an orc. Most of the mission was actually just to keep out any creatures from their villages. The elves did have thin alliances with humans, but they didn't trust anyone and isolated themsleves into an enchanted forest that could curse anyone unfriendly.

Since Itachi wouldn't give him answers, Sasuke decided he would ask Kisame.

"So... how did you get locked up in a cell? I thought orcs fought in groups?"

Kisame let out a small raspy laugh.

"Not all orcs like to fight togheter. I do like to lead them but most of the ones I was surrounded with weren't very bright, and it annoyed me too much".

"So you abandonned them?"

"I killed them."

Sasuke was chocked by how carelessly he said he killed his own.

"Orcs are really monsters then."

Kisame shrugged.

"It depends on what you think a monster is. Some kill to protect their own, some kill to avenge, we all have different reasons. And that applies to every kind don't you agree?"

"Elves have never done such awful things."

Sasuke turned up to him with an insulted look on his face. Kisame simply shrugged again and smiled.

"Elves are supposed to be sages and search for pacific ways, I know."

Sasuke nodded. He let his gaze go back to his brother. He was still leading the way, but Sasuke knew he had listened to their conversation. At least the orc talked.

The city was smaller than it looked because the were out, back in the forest before midday. As they were leaving, a crow flew straight to Itachi, and he held an arm out so the bird could land on it. It seem to carry a small note, and Itachi quickly let the crow fly away after taking it.

It couldn't be a message from the elves as they didn't communicate with crows, an animal that usually left a message of bad luck. Sasuke pressed his horse to go next to Itachi and asked about the note. As usual, Itachi smiled and said it was nothing important, though he was still holding the note in his hand rather tightly. Sasuke insisted but Itachi didn't answer him.

"Not a big talker this one" Kisame adressed to Sasuke in a mocking tone.

Sasuke didn't bother to answer. His gaze was focused on Itachi, calculating him and trying to discern what was wrong with him. Itachi unfolded the note and read it quickly, and put it away in his pocket. Not even a flinch or a slight emotion on his pale face. Sasuke sighed.

They continued to travel without any trouble until nightfall were they set next to a large river. The area was surrounded by rocks and small trees, and they found easily a small cave big enough for them to sleep through the night.

Sasuke set next to Itachi and started eating before going to sleep. He couldn't help but notice how Itachi's gaze was fixated on Kisame. He never saw Itachi stare at someone so intensely before. The orc stared back and grinned. They made him uncomfortable. Sasuke decided that he needed sleep and turned his back towards the wall. Tomorrow would be another long day and he hoped some action would happen. Riding was nice but doing it too long hurt his butt and he was tired of hving nothing else to do than think and talk to Kisame.

The next morning, Sasuke awoke by himself in the cave. All their belongings were still next to him so he figured Itachi when outside to eat or something. The orc wasn't there either, so he went to investigate.

The sun was rising slowly and gave out pretty colors on the water and everything around him. The air was crisp and when he breathed out it formed a small cloud. He walked towards the river and washed his hands and face. He dried his face with his sleeve, and turned around. He didn't see his brother or Kisame anywhere around. He walked a little deeper in the woods and saw Itachi sitting at the bottom of a tree, shirtless, looking up to the orc, shirtless too. They seemed to be talking. Sasuke approached slowly and tried to listen to their conversation, but they kept their voices low for some reason.

As he got closer, he could see Itachi was.. smiling to Kisame. But not a fake smile or a forced one, a genuine smile. That disturbed greatly Sasuke. Itachi never smiled that way to anyone but close ones. What was happening here? Was he manipulating Kisame to get something from him? Did he know some secret about the orc and trusted him for some reason?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i know. it has been too long and the chapter isn't very long, but hey, I blocked for a while. I shall give more action in the next one and try to post sooner :D

**Author's Note:**

> Whew! I'm kinda scared of posting this. I hope people will enjoy this! I did my best. I hope to post next chapter as soon as possible!(and hopefully longer chapter) It's a tiny contribution to kisaita week♥  
> Feedback is what keeps me going :)


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